1. Score the fight
A win is not just a win. Each fight is split into a score out of 100 between the two fighters: the winner takes their share and the loser keeps the rest.
Start from the method
How it ended sets the starting point for the winner: 85 for a knockout or submission, 80 for a doctor stoppage, 76 for a unanimous decision, 73 for a majority and 70 for a split.
Add the dominance
Up to 15 more for how one-sided it was: significant strike differential carries 40% of that, control time 30%, knockdowns 20% and how early the finish came 10%.
Cap the outliers
Each signal tops out where the most one-sided tenth of UFC fights sit: 43 more significant strikes, seven more minutes of control, one more knockdown. Beyond that, a beating counts the same.
The edge cases
Draws split 50 to 50. Fights with no round-by-round stats, mostly from the early years, count as a plain win or loss.
- 99 to 1 Cody Haddon over Aoriqileng, KO/TKO, R2 2:11, 30 May 2026 (the most dominant win of the year so far).
- 70 to 30 Kai Kamaka III over Dakota Hope, split decision, R3 5:00, 4 Apr 2026 (a split decision with little between them).
Dominant wins and win score
A win scoring 85 or more is a dominant win: any finish, or a decision won by a wide margin. The boards count each fighter's dominant wins at the weight (for example, 5 of 6), and their win score is the average score across all their wins there. Both appear on every fighter page.
2. Weigh who it was against
Before every fight the two ratings say what the score should be. The rating moves by how far the real score beat or fell short of that.
Upsets move the most
Dominate a higher-rated opponent and the number jumps. Beat a debutant and it barely moves, because that was expected.
A win can cost points
Edge past a much lower-rated opponent on the cards and the margin falls short of the expectation, so the rating dips a little. It happens in about one win in a hundred.
A loss can earn them
A close, competitive loss to a far better fighter can nudge a rating up. Being close to the best is evidence too.
3. Publish only what is proven
Every rating comes with a margin of error. The published number is the best estimate minus that margin: the level a fighter has already shown. It is the only rating the site quotes: an opponent’s rating, a best win or an average opposition figure is always the published rating that fighter held going into the fight.
Fights tighten it
Every fighter starts at 1500 with a wide margin, so their first published number sits near 1150. Each fight narrows the margin and lets the number rise.
Layoffs loosen it
Every six months out of the cage widens the margin again, so a long absence costs places until the fighter returns and proves the level still holds.
Weight moves carry over
Each division has its own rating. A fighter moving weight brings most of their rating with them, with a wider margin, until results at the new weight confirm it. Moving back to a division they have fought in before works the same way, with none of the rating taken off.
4. Build the boards
Each division's top 15, ranked on the published number. To make a board a fighter must:
Be active
Have fought in the UFC in the last 18 months, at any weight. A no contest counts as an appearance.
Have won there
Have at least one UFC win at that weight. A rating carried in from another division counts once they qualify, but cannot rank someone on its own.
Or wear the dagger
A † marks fewer than five UFC fights at the weight: the rating is real but can still move a long way.
Show the movement
Arrows show moves since the division's latest event, from results only. Belts mark the official champions, which come from the UFC, not from the model.
What it is not
The Index answers one question: whose wins have been the most dominant, against the best opposition, at this weight. Some things it deliberately leaves alone.
Not a prediction
It measures what has happened, not who wins next. Styles, injuries, age and camp all matter on fight night and none of them are in the number.
Not pound for pound
Each division is rated on its own scale, so a 1850 at heavyweight and a 1850 at flyweight are not the same thing.
Not the belt
Champions are marked, but the belt does not move the rating. A champion can sit below a contender who has been more dominant.
Not from the UFC
Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sourced from the UFC. Fight results and statistics come from UFCStats, and the ratings update weekly.